towerofanimus | DREAM A LITTLE DREAM WITH ME

DREAM A LITTLE DREAM WITH ME

Characters: all the characters involved in the Dream Event
Setting: various dreams, various locations
Format: any
Summary: Xehanort draws a large amount of the tower into worlds constructed from their dreams in an attempt to learn about everyone en masse
Warnings: ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING

[Tendrils of magic wound their way around, lines of energy flickered into existence, forming a large shape on the ground around where Xehanort sat with his back straight and legs tucked neatly beneath him. Perfect. It was a bigger scale than the one he'd done but a month before, already he could feel the flickers of connection, the shape getting brighter and more defined.

More participants. More mental drag. There was little to worry about. With Xigbar on guard duty, his sleeping body would be quite safe. No, it was time to dream... and see just who would follow.

Darkness shrouded his hand, keyblade flaring into life, and he gripped the handle in both hands, aiming it at the ground, at the keyhole defined by criss-crossing darkness responding, resonating...

drowsiness laced through him, the blade in his hands sagging downward until the tip touched the ground, his posture slacking, head and shoulders slumping slightly

in slumber, the dreams of others awaited

the Master was asleep.]

OOC NOTE BECAUSE I CAN'T EDIT THE POST IT'S ON ANYMORE AND NOT REDOING ALL OF THAT: Dreamers should post to their REAL WORLD thread explaining where their character is, if they made it to a bed or if they're on the floor somewhere or wherever.

If you have questions for me, put them in your base character thread!

If I missed you somehow, let me know and I'll add you to the appropriate section!

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It started when she opened her eyes and saw a face. It was one she knew, she knew she did, and yet in that moment the name eluded her - memories and dreams and dreams of memories all mixing together in a confusing jumble in her mind.

She frowned for half a moment, before she finally was able to voice the question in her head. "Are you-?"

"Riku. Sora's friend," he replied. That felt right, somehow. And yet at the same time she was surprised.

"Sora-? You know Sora?" She sat upright, maybe a little more quickly than she should have. She came to a halt, her head spinning a tiny bit.

Riku's mouth twisted oddly at her question. "Yeah." He stood up, and offered her a hand to help her to her feet. It was at that moment that she realized that this was the Organization imposter. The one who'd called her Keyblade a sham. And yet... she trusted him. He'd saved her, and there was something else... she took his hand, and he helped pull her to her feet.

"Thank you," she said, "You saved me but... I don't know why you did." Or did she? Somehow... it didn't feel that strange. There's a flash of some alien memory, one of him putting a hand on her arm and telling her she'd be safe, when she was scared, so scared and she'd gone to him. And yet as unfamiliar (or was it) as the memory was, it didn't feel like Sora's memories at all. Only hers.

It was enough she almost missed Riku's response, as he turned away. "I guess I just felt like it."

The feeling of "waking up" in this dream was familiar. The sunshine, the sand he was laying in...he blinked, and he could see an almost cloudless sky above him. Sora didn't even have to stand up and look around to know where he was. This was his home.

Xion said she had been here once, Sora remembered. Was that why she was dreaming of it now?

It didn't take long to collect himself, and soon enough he spotted some movement on the small islet nearby.

"Xion's gotta be over there." Sora said outloud, though he had nearly forgotten that he wasn't the only one who had dived into this dream. He makes a dash for the Seaside Shack, running through it and emerging near the bridge, which he had crossed in no time at all.

For a moment, Sora was surprised to see Riku there, too. But then he remembered - Xion said she had come to the islands, and she had said that she and Riku had met here. So...maybe this was what happened then.

He still isn't sure; for now he just watches, listening in on the conversation.

Waking up in a dream was a new experience. In fact, it was hands down the most BIZARRE thing he had ever done, and that was saying something considering being a Turk had some pretty bizarre things just as a matter of course.

Reno looked around at the sandy beach and the bright sky before following Sora. So this was where they were from? It wasn't a bad place at all. It was his sort of place- sand, sun, and plenty of water to splash around in.

"Who's that guy with her?" He asked, not really recognizing Riku at the moment.

For a moment, Xion frowned, feeling, for half an instant, like she'd heard someone or something, and she turned to give a cautious glance to the immediately surrounding area. Except that Riku seemed to be turning to leave - something she didn't want yet. Not when she had so many questions still left to ask...

"Riku please," she called, quickly, "Tell me more... about Sora and that girl he's always with."

Riku paused. "You mean Kairi."

"Kairi," she repeated in faint wonder, one hand coming up to rest on the side of her head, the other to hold onto the arm of the first. At last, she had a name to go with the face she'd seen... so many times. Or did she? It felt so familiar... or maybe that was because of the memories, "That's right... She's the one who looks so much like me."

Riku turned back to face her, "To Sora, she's someone very special."

Somehow that didn't surprise her. She lowered her arms and turned away, walking towards one of the palm trees. "It's just... I remember things about the two of them, but I'm... I'm nothing more than a puppet. Something somebody created." She reached forward, one hand coming to rest on the trunk of the palm tree, along with her forehead. "So why would I have their memories...?"

It was all part of the mixed-up package of what her identity was to her. And she didn't get it at all.

"That's Riku." Sora responded automatically, half of his focus still on the scene in front of him. "He's one of my best friends."

When he heard his name, though, he almost forgot that he had even spoken. Sora rested a hand on his elbow, absently scratching his head in thought. This was a memory from before she came to the tower, right? So why would Xion be asking about him? She hadn't known who he was when they met...right?

And Kairi...she had to be talking about Kairi, too. Did this have something to do with how much they looked alike?

For all his thinking, Sora just watched, fascinated. It was hard not to be, when seeing a little piece of what was apparently part of your own future.

"But...what does she mean?" Sora mused out loud, talking as much to himself as he was to Reno. "Xion's a person, not a puppet." Never mind what she was saying about memories...what in the world was going on here? Sora couldn't even begin to make any sense out of it.

Reno had a good idea of what she meant. It was tugging at his own memories of that conversation they had. "I'm... just a puppet." What was it he had told her then?

Frowning, he stared at the blue haired boy. "It's... uh..." Would Xion even want him to tell Sora? This was getting into something he wasn't sure he wanted to be a part of, into someone else's problems and conflicts. Things that made his head hurt when he thought about them. "It's some existential junk she was telling me a while ago. Something about how she was born." There was a pause, then he nodded. "She said she was 'made out of memories.' But... you're right. She's a person."

Under his breath, he added "And I thought Lifestream Theory was cracked up..."

"Made...out of memories?" Sora didn't get it at all. You can't make something - let alone someone - out of memories, could you? That didn't make sense.

It was a pretty strange idea, which didn't seem right at all. There was nothing strange about Xion. She was just...Xion.

But then, why was she talking about memories of him and Kairi? How would she know about that?

There was a pause while she thought, perhaps half-hoping that Riku might answer her. Explain. When there was no explanation forthcoming, she glanced over her shoulder.

"Do you know where Sora is now?" Maybe if she could find him... maybe then she would be able to understand what was going on.

Riku's response, was immediate and firm. "That secret stays with me."

It had the metaphorical effect of a door being slammed in her face. She looked away again, disconcerted, but a part of her still determined. "Why's that?"

"Xion..." Riku sighed, "Your memories... they really belong to Sora."

Her head jerked up. Was that... the explanation? The one she'd been hoping for? Who she was, why she had these memories... but if her memories were really Sora's... what did that mean... did it maybe... "So you mean... I'm like... a part of him?"

There was the crunch of feet on gravel as Riku walked towards her. "When Sora's memories were scattered, some of them fount their way inside you."

Xion flinched, reaching a hand up to touch her forehead and cover her face, so that she could no longer see him. Maybe it was lucky guesswork, or maybe it was something more, but... she had a feeling she knew where this was going.

Riku continued, "Now, Sora has been put to sleep so we can piece together his memory. Except..."

Her heart sank. "Except you can't, because part of it is inside me. That means... he can't wake up." And it's my fault.

"Yeah," Riku's voice was heavy, "You got it."

Xion's memories...belong to him? All Sora can do when he hears those words is stare in dumb disbelief, barely able to even process the idea. This was his future - he had to remember that, first and foremost, for all of this to even begin to make sense. Except it didn't help much. What was Riku talking about? How could Xion have his memories?

As the scene played out in front of him, Sora found himself trying to put the pieces together, to apply them to himself, but it wasn't working. A part of him thought that it sounded almost like they were talking about a total stranger. Someone who was asleep, whose memories had been scattered and found their way to Xion. But it was him, which was why he found himself trying so hard to understand.

Riku's dreams...and now all of this.

What had happened to him, after he left the islands? If these were the answers, then why were they just leading to more questions?

"What are they talking about?" He felt like he should understand something now - something important - but his mind was refusing to connect the dots.

Reaching out, he placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "I think it's kinda like taking some of the lifestream that made up you and making a whole new person out of it..." Reno replied, helpfully. He didn't really know how else to verbalize it, their world worked differently and he didn't really understand it too well. "Look, why don't you just ask her? She's always been honest with me. It really isn't my place, y'know? It's between you two. Something you'll have to work out yourselves..."

Xion was getting that feeling again - the nagging one that someone else was there. But before she could act on it, could turn around and see if their little islet was really deserted, Riku was speaking again, and her attention refocused on him.

"But, if you go with me to Sora right now, we could give the memories inside you back to him," he said, and a tight knot of feeling in Xion's gut suddenly burst into life. She'd seen enough research notes on herself to know what that would do to her, basically. These memories she had... they'd made her who she was... without them...

A part of her wanted to be angry. Wanted to rage against this because there was this sudden gnawing of guilt and she didn't want to feel it. She didn't want that reminder. And maybe if she had something to be angry at instead, it'd be easier.

"So," she said, a little bitterly, brushing her hair out of her face as she turned to look at him defiantly, "Do you hate me for taking your best friend away from you?"

"Nah," Riku replied, making her freeze, "I guess I'm just sad."

She gasped a little as the burning knot turned to ice, and the desire to be angry leeched out of her, leaving nothing but heavy guilt in its place.

Though Sora didn't have the slightest clue as to what a "lifestream" was, he thought he was able to get the idea of what Reno was saying.

"So someone took a piece of me, and made Xion?" The question was more to himself than anyone else, though, and he nodded at Reno's words. "Yeah. Once we figure out how to wake everyone up, I'll talk to her."

But that wasn't the end, of course. Riku and Xion kept talking, and Sora, still as lost as ever, listened.

Something occurred to Sora, when he heard Riku say that he'd take Xion to see him. If Xion was made out of memories, his memories, and she gave those memories back, then...what happened to Xion?

"It's not like I had that much time left anyway."

When they talked, and she said that something was going to happen to her, she couldn't have meant...

Except she could have. His eyes widened in horrified realization for a moment as he started to understand that she could have meant just that - that returning her memories to him meant that her time was up.

If Sora hadn't known what to think before, then he definitely didn't know what to do now. Some part of his mind that was still able to pay attention noted that, if Riku was saying that he was sad like that, then he must have been really sad.

He feels like he should do something. But...it's just a dream, right? So what can he do? Instead he just stands there, completely frozen, unsure of what to say or if he should say anything.

[Destiny Islands again. This time it's sunset though, and... a part of her is aware she shouldn't be here. This is a dream. Roxas and Axel hare here, on either side of her.

She's dreamed this before. She dreamed it when she was trying to figure out what to do. Where to go. It wasn't something she'd thought a great deal about recently, but it still poked at her. Especially given how much everything had changed, both back home and in the Tower.]

I don't know what to do anymore. Everything seemed so much simpler back home.

[And even then they hadn't been that simple.

Only unlike the last time she'd dreamed this, Roxas and Axel were silent. After a moment, she looked to her left and right, and realize that they'd vanished. She glanced around in confusion. Where-]

[Compared to some of the scenes he had been thrust into before, it's a relieve to see his home whole and intact now, the sound of the waves ever the same, just like remembers it.

He misses this place, misses it with every fiber of his heart, just like he misses the presence of his two best friends (without the awkward that he feels at all their interactions now, because there's the guilt of what he's done, of all the things that Sora can't know about... that he can't forget, never mind forgive himself for).

He closes his eyes for a moment, just letting the wind brush through his hair, and breaths in the warmth and taste and smell of home and when he opens his eyes he can't help but narrow his eyes at the three (rather familiar) figures he sees leaning against their paopu tree.

He keeps his distance, but even so he hears Xion's voice carry and only when Roxas and Axel fade away, he dares to approach; his voice quiet, thoughtful.]

...I don't think it's really comparable.

[Because while things might seem simpler... with all he's learned since his arrival in the tower, Riku knows they aren't. In some way, they are far more complicated than any of them could have guessed before.

He really wishes they were simpler - back home and in the tower - especially for Xion. She certainly would deserve them to be.]

[The place she opens her eyes in is... both familiar yet not. It's a quiet street, though there are a few indistinct people walking around. There's a gas station, a store with books in front of it, and another with great works of metal in its windows. Further down the street she can see bushes and more buildings, and a great archway just as the street curves.

The most familiar part of it though, is the golden afternoon sky. She can't help but wonder what this dream is though - she can't remember ever having been to a world like this. This town though, it seems nice, and she's getting an almost nostalgic feeling, almost like she's back in Twilight Town.

She walks down the street, cautious, but not on guard, exploring this new place her dream has put her in with a faint hint of wonderment.]

[This small, rustic area of the shopping district may be unfamiliar to her... but it's one that Yu knows well as it is. He has no idea why he's suddenly here in his dreams once more (most of them have brought him to either others' dreams or the the TV world), but he'll count his blessings for the quiet peace his home away from home had to offer.

...No. It wasn't just that, anymore. Even though he was a city boy through and through, this town is his home. Maybe it shows in how he carries himself a little differently - with more purpose and pride as he walks the rustic streets. The warmth of this sun... He can't help the faint smile as he waves to Naoki who's running past him and back to his family's liquor store.

At least, until he sees someone who seems to be out of place here. Yu blinks, but calls out.]

...Xion?

[He stopped there, across the street from where he can see a familiar blue door. No doubt Xion can't see it or the blue butterfly that landed on his shoulder.]

[No she doesn't, but she does see him, and as she does, her face lights up a little.]

Yu!

[She's been through enough dreams by now to understand a little of what's going on. She's been in others, been in her own, places she's both familiar with and not. And now here.

She tilts her head a little to the side. There's something... a little different about him. She's not sure what. Maybe happier? It would make sense - this place looks a lot nicer than the Tower ever did. But still.]

Do you know where we are?

[He's been in enough of his own, too... which makes him glad that, for once, this one actually seems rather warm and kind compared to others he's seen. Though... he knows all good dreams come to an end. Even in his own world, things were like that.

Yu walks over, nodding slightly.]

Yasoinaba. It's one of the bigger towns in this region of Japan.

[In other words, you're in a dream of his home, Xion... the place they all fought so hard to protect.]

Edited 2012-08-27 06:13 (UTC)

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DREAM A LITTLE DREAM WITH ME

DREAMS

Dream #1

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Dream #2

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